Chapter 347 - 345: Village Guardian

Seeing that they had sold most of their goods, the old man told the kids to go and play.

"Sui Sui, you go play with Jiaojiao and the others."

Yun Sui glanced at the stall before nodding.

"Okay."

Although Yun Sui’s intellect would forever be that of a five or six-year-old, he was optimistic and filial.

He took some incense and followed Yun Jiao and the others to go pay respects to the immortals.

He was especially devout.

Beneath a large tree at the village temple’s exit, an old man in Daoist robes sat cross-legged on the ground. He looked a bit scruffy. In front of him was a worn piece of cloth, on which lay several long, red silk ribbons inscribed with blessings in gold paint.

Many people bought them, tying the red ribbons to their wrists or to the large tree.

His stall also had some wooden boards and some talisman paper folded into triangles.

A sign stood beside it: "Buy something, get a free face reading."

It was essentially fortune-telling, but it wasn’t good to say so directly these days.

As Yun Jiao and her group passed by, they heard him giving a reading to an older woman.

"My daughter won’t listen. A scoundrel from our village has her completely wrapped around his little finger. Old Master, do you have any solution?"

The girl being pulled along by the woman looked furious.

"Mom, how can you say that about Brother Cai? He said he’ll change! He’s going to help me live the high life, and he even gave me a bracelet."

The old woman was fuming. "How much have you taken from home to give him? What bracelet? It’s just a bent piece of wood, and you’re treating it like a treasure!"

"Brother Cai said it’s an antique. You don’t understand."

The old Daoist mediated, "Calm down, both of you. Let me take a look."

He stared at the girl’s face for a moment, then theatrically pinched his fingers together as if making a calculation.

"Oh, dear. This is serious."

What’s wrong?

"Young lady, I know your Brother Cai is a good man."

The girl immediately looked smug.

"But... the two of you can’t be together."

The girl was stunned. "Why not?"

"Sigh... Your birth charts are incompatible. Not only that, they clash. He suppresses your financial fortune. As long as he’s by your side, you’ll never be able to hold onto your money."

Hearing this, the girl panicked. "How... how can that be?"

"Listen to me, young lady. If you really stay with him, you’ll face a lifetime of hardship."

"But... but we’re truly in love! I... I’m not afraid..."

The mother stamped her foot in anxiety.

The old Daoist said unhurriedly, "But you also suppress him."

"With you around, he’ll never get rich."

Now the girl was conflicted.

Her mother smacked her arm. "What’s there to be conflicted about? Go home and break things off with him, you hear me?"

In the end, as the mother grumbled on, the girl left, utterly dejected.

Yun Jiao, having paused to enjoy the show, was satisfied and ready to leave.

But unexpectedly, the old Daoist called out to them.

"Well now, you little friends are quite something. When you grow up, you’ll all be truly exceptional."

Yun Xiaowu puffed out his chest. "You don’t have to tell us that."

The old Daoist looked at Yun Jiao. "Little friend, you have profound merit. How about a peace charm?"

Yun Jiao looked at him. "This peace charm... can it really keep me safe?"

"Ah, we have to believe in science. This thing is just for peace of mind."

"Besides, it’s not expensive. Just one dollar."

"One dollar isn’t expensive?"

Yun Xiaoqi rolled his eyes. "You’re a pretty blatant scammer, aren’t you?"

"Hey, drawing these talismans is hard work. I’m just earning a little for my trouble."

"And this here, it’s real peach wood. Our ancestors said peach wood wards off evil. Whether it’s true or not, there’s gotta be some reason for it, right?"

Yun Jiao crouched down, looking from one item to the next.

"Sister, let’s go. This guy’s just a scammer."

Yun Jiao said, "It’s fine. I have money."

The old Daoist watched them with a smile. After looking at Yun Jiao a few extra times, his gaze finally fell on Yun Sui.

"Here, kid, come over here."

Yun Sui shook his head. "No. Grandpa and Jiaojiao both said not to talk to strangers."

"Hahaha, they’re right here. What are you afraid of?"

Yun Sui still shook his head. He was an obedient child.

The old Daoist waved a battered fan.

"Village guardian, your life... it would be a bitter one, if not for a benefactor."

Yun Jiao looked at the old Daoist. ’Is he talking about Yun Sui?’

The old Daoist only said, "I’ll be staying in this village from now on. When you stop going to school, come find me."

He glanced at Yun Jiao.

"A fool, a foolish love. You’re not of the same world, after all. This romantic tie is a bad idea, or it will harm both yourself and the other."

Yun Xiaowu and the others were completely baffled.

"What are you rambling on about, old man?"

Yun Jiao didn’t understand either, and Yun Sui looked even more clueless.

"Nothing, nothing. I just like to talk to myself."

He looked at Yun Jiao. "Little girl, I’ll give you a peace charm. Take it to the Mazu Temple and pray with it."

Yun Jiao took a stone from his hand. It looked like a piece of low-quality white jade.

"This is a peace charm?"

’Why is it different from the ones on his stall?’

"This is something you wouldn’t know. Peace charms carried by different vessels are naturally different. Simply put, the one in your hand is more expensive."

Yun Jiao and her brothers: "..."

"You’re really giving it to me?"

"Yes, yes. I can see we have a fateful connection."

Yun Jiao said, "Oh." She continued, "I won’t take it for free. My grandpa says the most expensive things are the ones you get for free. I’ll take these few peace charms, and these peach wood warding plaques too."

Then she handed him thirty dollars.

"Is this enough?"

The old Daoist’s eyes crinkled with delight. "It’s enough, more than enough."

He looked so greedy. He didn’t have the slightest bit of a Daoist’s sagely demeanor.

But Yun Jiao didn’t mind. Although the old Daoist seemed very unreliable, her impression of him was actually quite good.

"Well, we’re leaving now. Goodbye, old grandpa."

The old Daoist leaned against the tree, watching the children leave with a wide grin.

"Incredible. This little village is hiding a future Sea God."

But being a Sea God is no easy task. As they say... with great power comes great responsibility.

Yun Jiao really did take those peace charms to the Mazu Temple, and she even bowed before the altars of the other immortals.

Then she gave one to each of her brothers, and even to Yun Sui. Only then did everyone head down the mountain, carrying their lanterns in a lively procession.

This year was just the beginning. In the future, their village’s temple would become even more bustling.

「In March, Bailong Village finally started to quiet down.」

Yun Jiao’s brothers had started school, as had Yun Sui and a few other sponsored children from the village.

The village chief, the clan elders, and the village party secretary calculated the income from the New Year period. The revenue from the temple alone had reached over six thousand yuan.

And that wasn’t even counting the money the villagers had earned from their own stalls.

This left the village chief and the others ecstatic.

After all, they had never expected such a wonderful surprise after repairing the village temple.

The village chief’s son said, "Dad, I think we need to spruce up our temple even more."

"We don’t just need the Mazu statue; we need to get statues for the other gods, too. And we have to expand the temple and find a professional Daoist to manage it."